Not a long time ago, Hip Hop used to be a taboo in Malawi and it was unacceptable in many households to the point that Malawians once demanded for the removal of Channel O on DStv.
[caption id="attachment_100316" align="alignright" width="500"]
![DJ Gwynz (left) was the first DJ to have a Hip Hop show on radio. Here he’s pictured with Papoose. Photo © Gwynz Facebook]()
DJ Gwynz (left) was the first DJ to have a Hip Hop show on radio. Here he’s pictured with Papoose. Photo © Gwynz Facebook[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_100314" align="alignright" width="500"]
![Lomwe (left) dropped ‘Nyau Killa’ and ‘U don’t want it’ dissing Tay Grin aka Nyau King (right) and became instant beef anthems.]()
Lomwe (left) dropped ‘Nyau Killa’ and ‘U don’t want it’ dissing Tay Grin aka Nyau King (right) and became instant beef anthems.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_100315" align="alignright" width="600"]
![Rapper Rina was one of the first female DJs to push local Hip Hop on radio when she was with Capital FM.]()
Rapper Rina was one of the first female DJs to push local Hip Hop on radio when she was with Capital FM.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_100317" align="alignright" width="445"]
![Gwamba: One of the new breed in the game]()
Gwamba: One of the new breed in the game[/caption]
Then, the argument was that Malawi youths were being westernized and this was a threat on culture and lifestyle.
With that mindset, Hip Hop especially from the local scene could barely be heard on radio. MBC Radio 1 and 2 were the only radio stations during this period.
With the coming in of FM 101 Power and Capital Radio, pressure mounted on the two state broadcasters and a room for competition was created.
DJ Dr. Gwynz introduced the first ever Hip Hop radio show on FM 101, “The Hip Hop Drill”.
The show featured underground Hip Hop music from all over the world with a smaller percentage of Malawian Hip Hop, perhaps because there was less material available.
Some of the few rappers that could be heard on Dr. Gwynz’ show were Blantyre based LC Definition, Solo, Comrades, Mo Efx (Barry One, Doxxy and Family) and Tendai (now known as Lomwe), while Lilongwe was being represented by KRT (Dominant One and Family), Cris Mak, X-Calibre, Blind Vision (Jinx and Native K), among others.
During this period, Chatrock was handling almost all the production from the South while Dominant One handled those from the Central.
Although rappers could get airplay, it was still hard to infiltrate the Malawi music industry because the show was coming at night from 22:00hrs to midnight only on Saturdays and the majority of listeners were Hip Hop heads.
MBC Radio 1 and 2 were still reluctant to change; however, Petros Kubwalo managed to introduce a Hip Hop show called “Rap Attack” on Radio 2 FM.
The show had potential but it never had much impact because rappers were never allowed interviews due to the station’s restrictions.
As the saying goes, “when one door closes another one opens”, rappers found solace at Capital FM when Nicole Masauli started hosting “Hip Hop against AIDS”.
The show became popular for its one-on-one interaction, diversity of music and it used to come in the morning around 10:00 am.
The show reached its peak when it hosted a live rap contest at Polytechnic in Blantyre where Prolific emerged victorious. Voice of America (V.O.A) radio presenter Lloyd Murray and Zambian rapper C.R.I.S.I.S were guest judges at this event.
“Hip Hop against AIDS” radio programme gave a break to artists like Chatrock, Nameless, Incyt, Adjust, Gospel and Prolific.
However, the show did not run for long, it was taken off air and Hip Hop fans went back to FM 101’s Hip Hop Drill.
This time around things had changed a bit; Dr. Gwynz was co-hosting The Hip Hop Drill with Kenny Klips and Sprite had also introduced a live radio rap competition on FM 101. After some time, Dr. Gwynz left FM 101 and Kenny Klips took over the show.
Sprite Hip Hop Show was like the foundation and when rappers graduate they would be chilling with the big boys on The Hip Hop Drill. The first Tay Grin song “Break Out” was premiered on this show by DJ Drew. Renegade, Pilgrim and N.I.C also came from this show.
When Klips took over The Drill, he brought a new breed in the name of WUN, Young Kay, Dezert Eagle, Jinx, Devine Sense and Dice.
At this point, MBC was still struggling to have a Hip Hop programme of its own hence it started playing local Hip Hop randomly.
On a positive note, this is when rappers came out with breakthrough songs that changed the game. Real Elements – “These Elements” and “Nyambo”, Basement – “Vimbuza” and “Banyamulenge”, Wisdom Chitedze – “Tipewe”, Physics – “Cholapitsa”, Comrades’ “Africa” and Young Kay – “Anankabango”.
Tay Grin’s “Ndabwela” and “2 by 2”, WUN’s “Mbina” and Kenny Klips’ “Ntofu” also had a huge impact on Malawi music as the biggest local club bangers in the country.
Hip Hop being a competitive genre, beef is never inevitable. Beef may end an artists’ career while others capitalize on it to score points. Lomwe’s “Rumours of War” and “U don’t want it” were instant hits and became beef anthems in Malawi.
Producers Q Malewezi (of Real Elements), Kas Mdoka (of Basement), Tapps, Daredevilz, Dizzo, Sonye and Dominant One came up with mind blowing productions which were creative and distinctive.
Many describe this period as the “Golden Era of Malawian Hip Hop” because radio rap had become interesting and entertaining. This was also the period when Kenny Klips had left FM 101 for Joy Radio and DJ Lomwe had taken over The Hip Hop Drill.
With Kenny Klips and DJ Lomwe secretly at war on who is the best Hip Hop DJ came a diversity of rap music in the country. Both DJs had their own understanding of Hip Hop.
But, they had one thing in common. They were both doing Hip Hop and Breakfast Shows so they would focus on raw/underground Hip Hop on Hip Hop shows while pushing commercial rap on prime time radio.
Hence acts like Basement, Real Elements, Tay Grin, Wisdom Chitedze, Black Squad Affiliates, Third Eye, Genii Blakk, Jolly Bro, Maximum Sentence, Daredevilz, Phyzix, Young Kay and many others could have radio buzz at the same time.
The Hip Hop industry had everybody covered from rappers, producers, DJs, dancers to journalists like Clifton Kawanga, Gregory Gondwe, Kimpho Loka and Sam Banda Jnr.
Both English rappers like Gospel, Incyt, Third Eye and NIC could get airplay and coverage similar to their vernacular counterparts. This also applied to those that do “pure” Hip Hop like L-Planet, Doxxy and Black Mind and those that blend Hip Hop and local elements like Lawi.
The influx of radio stations and rappers becoming DJs also saw the expansion of Hip Hop base. Hip Hop could now be on radio rotation on almost all the radio stations.
The late DJ A.I and rapper/DJ Rina also played a big role in promoting local Hip Hop on Capital FM. Being rappers themselves, they could squeeze in an interview or a profile on a local rapper when they had a chance.
On the other hand, Vida “Lil Vee” Germano had also introduced “Hip Hop for HIV” on FM 101 Power whereas David “Deep Poet” Kapezi and James Gumbwa were co-hosting “Born n Bred” on Radio 2 FM. Both shows made a name for themselves for being active on social media which is now the biggest and fastest media in this generation.
Rapper-cum-journalist, K-Bonnie joined Star Radio and co-hosted “Youth Connection.com” with Yamikani Maganga. The radio station had a good signal reception in the north and this forced Mzuzu-based rappers to follow the local Hip Hop scene.
Consequently, Star Radio received tonnes of music from Mzuzu some of which were from Revolver, Slessor and Gud Fly.
With K-Bonnie’s Lilongwe background, he had easy access to Lilongwe music and little by little rappers like Kwame and Pittie Boys made their way on Blantyre-based radio stations.
This was the genesis of the new era, the Gwamba phenomenon.
When Pittie Boys’ music invaded Blantyre colleges and neighbourhoods, Gwamba decided to pursue a solo career. He started coming to Blantyre to do collaborations with Hypa, Young Kay and Blakjak to familiarise himself with the Blantyre environment.
Soon as he established himself as a full time rapper, he got signed to Mike Chilewe Jnr.’s now defunct Transformers Music, then to Edward Kankhomba’s Prime Time Media before he partnered with Third Eye to form Soul Rebel Entertainment (SRE) which he has just left.
He now has Krazie G and Marste under his wings. The latter has one the biggest songs in the country, “Mwano”, which won the Song of the Year accolade at the UMP Awards 2015 in November.
Currently, Classick of Home Grown African, Mwanache, Sagonjah, Sage Poet, Kananji, E-word, Cash, Trix and producer Rebel Musiq seem to be the breed of Malawi Hip Hop waiting to take over.
Despite not being Hip Hop DJs, Spyda da Ryda, DJ Joy, James Gumbwa, Diktator, DJ Scarpper, DJ Maya, Grevaxio Mota, Anne Kadam’manja, Francis Dule, DJ Crystal and Mike C are doing a good job when it comes to playing local Hip Hop on radio whereby introducing local artists to a wider audience.
Back then, Rap was child’s play but now rappers are getting paid. The corporate world is now open for endorsements, sponsorship, bookings and management companies signing rappers for commercial purposes.
Local Hip Hop producer Gemini Major just got signed to Cassper Nyovest’s Family Tree label in South Africa, which is a sign that Malawi has potential to make it big everywhere.
Nonetheless, when it’s all said and done, having shows like DJ Milatino and Black Mind’s Matindi FM Hip Hop show struggling to make it, the question remains what’s the future of Malawi Hip Hop? How is the new generation going to be groomed when all the relevant Hip Hop radio shows seem to be dying?
Remember, everywhere in the world where Hip Hop is big, every big rapper comes from Hip Hop shows before they make it in mainstream media. It’s only in rare cases where rappers simply breakthrough, most of them who do are habitually wack, Soulja Boy and Iggy Azalea for example.
As many may be aware, Soulja Boy blew up from social media, MySpace, while Iggy Azalea blew up because of corporate imaging.
Paul Banda[/caption]
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) Director for Mingoli Music Promotions Peter Mulangeni said Zomba fans should get ready because they will witness the legendary Paul Banda and his colleagues tear up the stage at Gynkana Club on Boxing Day on December 26.
He added that the second show will follow on December 27Th at Robins Park in Blantyre before hitting a climax at Sheaffer gardens in the City of Lilongwe on New Year's Day.
“These shows are one of its kind because in a short while we will try to reach out to three districts and the artists have promised to entertain fans with all the songs that made them who they are now in the early 90s and early 2000s; so we ask the fans to come in their large numbers and patronize these shows,” said Mlangeni.
He said patrons will have to cough K1500 per head with the shows starting from 10a.m. till 8p.m. adding Premier Bus Company buses will be available to ferry people after the shows in all the venues.
He said while some people consider the “golden oldies” artists as outdated it is still good for society to remember their past while enjoying they grew up listening to.
Also performing at the shows include Isaac Liwotcha, Lucius Banda, Mlaka Maliro, Kamuzu Barrack gospel singers, Senga Bay CCAP singers, Mighty POV, Peter Sambo, Favoured Martha, and Thoko Katimba, according to Mlangeni.
Zomba Prison Project nominated for the Grammys.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_99489" align="alignright" width="600"]
Malawi maximum security prison musicians lock down Grammy nomination[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_99488" align="alignright" width="600"]
"I Have No Everything Here" by the "Zomba Prison Project" was nominated for best world album in the 58th annual Grammy Awards[/caption]
In Zomba, an extraordinary and impressive album with musical documents about the unspeakable conditions of the prison under which its occupants have to live, arose.
The only public awareness Malawi seems to get is when Madonna decides to adopt another child.
But there are more and much more useful reasons to look after this country. For example, the inhumanity of Malawi’s prisons is a shame that hides in plain sight.
In the summer of 2013, Grammy-winning producer, Ian Brennan and his wife, Italian photographer and filmmaker, Marilena Delli, travelled to Malawi to document and record the music of prisoners in Zomba.
The Zomba Central Prison was built in 1935 and is the only maximum-security prison in the country, holding male and female prisoners. Originally built for 340 inmates, it houses more than 2 000 people–next to the shortage of space it offers a conducive environment for the rapid spread of HIV and Aids and tuberculosis. Plus, many of the guards also live on the grounds, just outside the walls.
What do you have to do to get jailed in here? The men are often charged with felonies such as theft or manslaughter, but many of them have never been to court. One reason for that: there is no transport from the prison to the court. Meanwhile, many of the women are held for witchcraft, with their only crime having been being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Brennan named the collection of the songs that he has recorded in the prison Zomba Prison Project. The resulting album is called I Have No Everything Here. These songs are direct, blunt: they tell stories of crime, sinners and sometimes hope.
On Monday, the album was nominated for the Best World Album category in the Grammy Awards, the biggest music awards in the world.
“It is shocking, but in a good way. The nominations have become increasingly celebrity driven. Many of the same names appear every year. The other four records nominated this year are by artists that are very famous in World Music and have roots going back to the 1970s and 1980s, and even the 1960s. For an unknown group to accomplish this is almost unprecedented.
“As the first Malawians ever to receive a Grammy nomination, this is something that all of Malawi can be very proud of. The fact is that very few countries in Africa—aside from the ones with very large populations such as Mali, South Africa, and Nigeria—have ever received even a single nomination. And in all of far east Asia, there has only been one nomination received for popular music ever,” Brennan said.
He added: “It would be so magnificent if they were blessed with the award. But the nomination itself is already such a meaningful tribute to the prison and the prisoners, and the talents and spirituality— what we often call “soul” in America— of the diverse individuals there. There is a wealth of talent there.”
Explaining the group’s structure, Brennan noted that there is a stark difference between the male and female sides of the prison.
“The men have an organised band and were very particular about how they were to be recorded. The women on the other hand are without instruments—except for drums made from buckets—and they claimed to not write songs. But, in fact, without much encouragement, the women stepped forward one-by-one with stunningly personal tunes like I Kill No More,” reports Brennan.
The songs were partially recorded directly in the prisoner’s cells, with permission by the prison authorities, who showed up open and generous in exchange for anti-violence seminars offered by Brennan and his wife Marilena Delli. Over five dozen people were recorded for the Zomba Prison Project sessions, totalling more than six hours of music in a multi-generational affair with some members as young as their early twenties, while a few select others have reached more than sixty years of age (the latter being a very advanced number since the life expectancy in Malawi remains about half of what is found in the Western world).
Brennan is no stranger when it comes to exceptional music projects. The restless US-American producer zomba-prisondraw already international attention by his work with the legendary Tuareg-Formation ‘Tinariwen’ from Mali.
But Brennan wants his Malawi project not only reflect the everyday life behind bars and give an insight into a carefully cordoned microcosm. The proceeds from the album sales shall enable some prisoners to appeal against their detention.
Through the Zomba Prison project, three of the women involved have gained release from their sentences. And three other cases are now actively under review due to the funds that have been raised.
“Music is universal. It exists everywhere and is a necessity for survival spiritually. Our hope is to help tip the scales, in the most minuscule way, back to fairer representation,” so Brennan.—Fair World
Ella Kabambe: I am in a stable relationship and not with a married man[/caption]
The social media especially WhatsApp cross-platform mobile messaging, people have been circulating a letter purportedly written by a woman who accuses Ella is breaking her 30 year old marriage but the said women does not mention her name neither the name of her husband who is said to be having an affair with Ella.
Some gossip sites have gone ahead to publish the story without even making an effort of verifying facts with the former Miss Malawi.
However, Nyasa Times investigations into the matter have revealed that the letter was purportedly written by a member of staff of National Bank of Malawi (NBM) where Ella works as Social Media and Communications Executive.
Sources confided in Nyasa Times that trouble started when the bank top management discussed on promoting Ella and making her face of the bank, a situation which made some employees unhappy.
“She is bright and knows her job plus she is highly educated. She is reading for her Master’s degree now and some people were very edgy when it was suggested that she should be promoted and that she should be the face of the bank. So all this is just trying to frustrate her, that she should leave the bank,” said a source privy to the issue.
“She is not dating any married man and there is no marriage which is breaking. If indeed, she was dating a married man, things would have gotten ugly; there was someone who was beaten up right here at the bank because of dating someone’s husband. This is character assassination, this is office politics gone too far,” added the source.
Nyasa Times also managed to speak to reticent Ella, who was refusing to grant the interview at first, but accepted later on “because I want to clear my name’.
“What I can say is that, this is a very sad situation because I am not dating any married man,” said the former beauty queen.
“If this woman who says I am dating her husband is real or indeed exist, why can’t she come and confront me, and obviously she knows where I work or where I live.
“I am challenging her to come forward and not hide under social media. Why is she hiding her name? What is she afraid of?” said Kabambe.
She also said it is sad that “desperate” people are using social media to tarnish her image.
“For me, this bothers me less because I know whoever is doing this is desperate and that is why they found comfort in social media to peddle lies against me,” she said sounding cool.
“I am in a stable relationship and I am not in a relationship with a married man,” explained the former Miss Malawi.
Asked if she knows that the issue is out of office politics, Ella said she is not aware of any office politics.
“I work normally and I don’t know of any office politics. Whoever is doing this needs deliverance from God because you cannot just wake up and start telling lies against someone, just like that… no no no this is not on,” said Ella.
Ella studied Social Science at the University of Malawi Chancellor College, upon completion nshe worked as a Brands Manager for Universal Industries. There after she moved to National Bank of Malawi .
She won the Miss Malawi pageantry in 2009.
MDNL was formed two years ago as a London based association to contribute to strategic planning processes and public policy development in Malawi and also act as a think tank that will be a source of innovative ideas for the development of Malawi;.
The grouping also aims to facilitate debate on topical issues that are critical for the development of the country; facilitate productive participation of Malawians living in Greater London and beyond in the economic activities of the country particularly in trade, investment and tourism..
MDNL also identify expertise among Malawians and friends of Malawi living in Greater London and beyond to contribute to various aspects of development of the country
According to MDNL chairman, Watipatso Mkandawire said the event this year is aimed at facilitating dialogue of the various networks that represent Malawi diaspora as well as friends of Malawi in the United Kingdom.
“ MDNL will also be extending a special welcome to the new High Commissioner who recently presented his letters of credence. It is an opportunity to share experiences as well as get to know who is doing what in business, health, education, community services and many services in support of Malawi’s development,”said Mkandawire.
He pointed out that a number of Malawian small business operators based in UK, will be displaying their services.
“It’s high time as Malawians we support each other businesses. That is the only way we can grow and excel. The model has worked for centuries and that is the reason for the success of corner shops in the UK for example”, said Watipaso.
Amongst the businesses that will promote their services include personal beauty, fashion, employment agencies, funeral insurance services, off-shore investment, financial services, catering and many more.
To entertain guests, music will be dished out by DJ GNICE and there will also be an opportunity to watch the guest artists, all the way from Denmark, Kidd Mkandawire of the Mafumbo fame, and former Kalimba band member.
Director of events will be James Nkhutabasa Woods.
Tickets, which are going at £45 single, kids menu at £15 and £80 double can be bought either on Eventbrite website or contact the following:
Phyllis Chipojola – 07931 353 737
George Ajassi 07710 597 823
Wonderful Khonje - 07875 612 246
Francisca Mkandawire 07960 010 495
New Chikondano Choir[/caption]
The workshop whose theme was ‘Choral revolution’ brought together different choirs within Lilongwe to share experiences, knowledge and learn new musical skill to improve music in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), director of Music Crossroad Mathews Mfune said their aim was to improve the singing of choral music and could be done by engaging choirs to help them develop skills that will help their singing skills in different choirs.
“Music crossroads would like to impact music skills in upcoming musicians hence our coming up with the workshop,” said Mfune.
The workshop attracted 14 choirs from different religious faith in Lilongwe.
The 14 groups competed and three of the groups who performed well were given a deal to record an album with Record for life studios.
Among the 14 choirs, New Chikondano Choir of Kafita CCAP church came first followed by Jordan Choir of Msungwi CCAP church and Don Bosco Parish Choir.
Speaking to MANA after the competition, Vincent Nakhate the director of Don Bosco Parish Choir said they were happy with the event and thanked Music crossroads for putting them on the spotlight.
“We never expect to be among the winners as we were here with our focus to learn music skills from Music crossroads particularly in choral music,” said Nakhate.
He added that they have not come up with any album since 2013 and with the opportunity given to the by the Music crossroads to record an album is a dream come true.
However the Music crossroads promised Malawians that they continue conducting such events annually in other districts of the country.
Music crossroads is one of the music organisation that acts like a platform to improve the music industry in Malawi and to provide opportunities to Malawians who are willing to make a change in life as far as music industry is concerned.--Mana
Lilongwe: The Movie[/caption]
Lilongwe, which was released in October this year, has been nominated for Best Film – Southern Africa.
Chavula took her feat to Facebook Monday saying she was excited about the nomination.
“I’m so humbled and grateful to the Lilongwe film crew. Malawi woyee! Go on and start voting for Lilongwe. It is free,” she wrote.
Voting for Lilongwe can be done through the following link 
Malawi Stars producer-Lynne[/caption]
Called Malawi Stars the show will put the spotlight on the biggest stars from the worlds of music, fashion, entertainment and commerce to hear how they got to the top, the setbacks they’ve faced and how other aspiring creative and entrepreneurial minded people can follow their lead.
Presented by Judith Msonthi, the first episode features Malawian hip-hop superstar Tay Grin, the internationally acclaimed DJ Nathan Tunes as well as musicians Hazel Mak and Esau Wawanya of the group The Very Best.
Speaking at the filming of the first episode, Producer Lynne Kayenne said: “I am Malawian and I know Malawi has some of the most talented, creative and business minded people in the world.
“Malawi Stars’ wants to celebrate this excellence, share their secrets of success and help inspire those who want to follow their lead.”
Director, Steve Webb who has produced and directed numerous programmes in the UK and USA including ‘Top Gear’ for the BBC, the award winning CNN Heroes and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for CBS stated:
“This show has been a passion of Lynne the past two years. When she showed me the quality of the work that is being done in Malawi and then asked me to use my knowledge of television production to make it a reality I jumped at the chance.”
Filmed and produced in Malawi by Populaire Productions, the 30-minute Malawi Stars weekly show will be highlighting five exceptional individuals and chart the journey that took them from their early days to the heights of their profession.
Malawi Stars will air on Zambezi Magic on DSTV and locally on Times TV, with the first episode expected to go on air in April.
Watch the opening titles for the pilot TV show:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghrkmULOn6I[/embed]
Malawian digital music store[/caption]
With several sources already offering local music downloads and streaming, predominantly for free, 
CAN business partners[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_99974" align="alignright" width="600"]
Mphatso Chidothe CAN station manager[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_99973" align="alignright" width="600"]
CAN fun club members[/caption]
Chidothe speaking on Friday at Sheaffer ICA Marque in Lilongwe during CAN Fan Day organized by the listeners themselves said the coming in of the Fan Club will help the institution in achieving its vision and mission of making Christ known to the nations and teaching and expounding the whole Gospel with Creativity and innovation, respectively.
“For CAN TV and Radio to be there it needs audience, so this is something very essential, meeting with our listeners has helped us a lot to know what they want from us and this will help us to improve our programming in both Television and Radio.
“We have shared them our vision and they will be operating in line with our vision and as a manager I pledge to give them full support and let me elaborate that our institution is made up of four Pillars namely; Listeners/Viewers, Clients , Staff and Directors”, she said.
She added that the club can act as a research tool and a channel of getting feedback.
Vice Chairperson of CAN Fan Club, Promise Mchiwiri said he was very happy that the manager has welcomed them and that the club will stick to the vision and mission of the institution
Mchiwiri said the club was formed among other things as the platform of encouraging fellow listeners on how to be strong believers, helping each other in times of despair and taking part in events that the institution can organize.
CAN Fan Club was established on 31 January, 2015. Since then the club have managed to visit Bwaila Hospital, Utatu Oyera orphanage and Kachere Prison where they donated various items and cleaning the surrounding.
Sumbuleta: MBC Innovations awards to continue[/caption]
The inaugural innovation awards ceremony was held last weekend at the College of Medicine sports complex in Blantyre which was graced by President Peter Mutharika.
The President encouraged the spirit of innovation among Malawians as that can lead to finding solutions to the problems that the country is currently going through instead of specializing in finger pointing.
Mutharika gave an example of the science and technology innovation award winner who invented the Padoko phone charger which derives its energy from a motion bicycle saying this is a feasible solution to the problem of electricity absence in the rural areas.
MBC Director General, Aubrey Sumbuleta said the awards ceremony is one way of taking their duty beyond the average of educating, informing and entertaining but rather inspiring.
“The awards are meant to inspire those that are doing great in society to do more and provoke those that have not started yet as one way of fortifying joint efforts in promoting our national development,” explained Sumbuleta.
The innovation awards ceremony saw the recognition of 10 great sons and daughters of the land who are advancing in a special way the work of environment, sports, agriculture, arts and science, education, science and technology, large scale entrepreneurship, small scale entrepreneurship, disability and health.
One Sautso Ndalama, who won the disability award for his breathtaking skill in the music industry working as a DJ by using his feet since he does not have hands, won the innovator of innovators award.
The awardees got beautiful trophies, certificates, money prizes of K500,000 each while the top winners got K1million and also a one month long visit to Egypt and China.
Realizing the importance in economic and general development, the ceremony enjoyed the support and sponsorship from the corporate world with companies like Malawi Postal and Telecommunication (MPTC), Press Trust, Mulawe Cooking Oil, Blantyre Water Board, ESCOM, TEVETA, Malawi Institute of Management (MIM), MACRA and many more financing the event.
According to MBC, the innovation awards which were being held for the first time will be an annual event.
Brian Banda receives an award from Chikadya (Left), Times Group CEO[/caption]
Banda, former host of Capital FM Straight Talk interview programme, presents a flagship interview program on Times TV on every Saturday.
He is known for his style of no hold-barred questions with his booming voice.
Commenting on the award, Banda posted on his Facebook page on Monday: “I would like to thank God for finding me suitable for his work. This afternoon I received an award as the Best Show Host for Times Television from the CEO Mr Leornard Chikadya at the end of the year gala.”
Banda added: “ I thank my wife Linda Kanjo my mate and advisor, The Camera Crew and the entire team for the support rendered.
“To Mr Chikadya for trusting in me when all seemed lost, Stanely Onjezani Kenani for the guidance and support, Peter Makossah (of Nyasa Times) for encouraging me all the year through, my colleagues at work for the support.”
The presenter worked at State House press officer during former president Joyce Banda reign but reverted to media work after his contract was terminated when Banda lost elections last May.
Namadingo: Malawi music prodigy par excellence[/caption]
The new kid on the block, contemporary Afro gospel music prodigy Patience Namadingo is surely the musical Santa this Christmas needs.
He usually sings with unadulterated vocal codes and with a high range, yet his compositions are largely on the less-is-more side of the music fence, that even the hardcore critics will admit that he is a genius who invites the ears to smile, and the allure of his music is too hard to resist.
Patience Namadingo is a music prodigy par-excellence who has added a new twist to Malawi music; and listening to his recent compositions, Msati Mseke and Macheza, songs which boast a multipartite of gule wamkulu, sarcasm and pleasantry suffused with the good news.
The tantalising Macheza,which lies dangerously between a drooping slapstick and a staid word of God, draws the listener from the puddings of true life-stories to lip-decorated lyrical masterpieces, dance and music.
His music is like a milkshake-soaked pudding that fills the hearts of music lovers with the scent of warm spice and singed orange peels as evidenced in his newly launched latest Lero album.
Surely, Namadingo is set to go places, higher than his uncultivable height.
But for how long and how far, only he will decide.
Malawi’s music icon Lucius Banda thinks Patience Namadingo is a game changer on the Malawian music landscape.
The Mabala hit-maker says Namadingo is the best next thing happening to Malawi music, saying his flair, clever lyrical compositions and style of music—which is fused between two genres—will take him far.
“Namadingo is, without doubt, one of the most talented musicians in the country. His advantage though, is that he is different and does things his way beyond the traditional conventions of what many believe to be Malawian gospel,” explained Lucius.
The self-styled Soldier, who started his music in a church music group Alleluia Band, explains that the problem with most people in the country is they do not understand what gospel music is, saying many think gospel music is anything that sings about God and the Bible.
“Gospel music is not all about quoting the Bible. It is about spreading the diverse messages to the masses. Gospel music is more than telling biblical stories and parables. As artists, gospel musicians, like any musicians, need to be more creative in their endeavours,” says Lucius.
Gospel musician Grace Chinga agrees with Lucius and thinks that Namadingo has a bright future in music, noting that the “young man is creative and brings gospel music to a different new level.
“From my personal point of view, I see that the Namadingo is creative and he has a distinct style. However, I am aware that there are some people, both musicians and music lovers, who are accusing him of singing nothing close to gospel music,” says Chinga.
She adds: “But I don’t agree with those who are saying Namadingo’s music is not gospel music. Namadingo is 100 percent a gospel artist and a creative one for that matter. But people will always have something bad to say. I am one his fans. He is a talented and his artistic ability is up the notch and top-drawer. Not everyone can come up with a song like Msati Mseke,” she says.
The gospel musician says she believes Namadingo will be one of the country’s top musicians if he is to stay in his lane.
Musicians Union of Malawi (MUM) president and one of the country’s legendary contemporary Afro-gospel musicians Chimwemwe Mhango described Namadingo as a trendsetter whose new thinking in music is a game changer on the scene.
“Yes, Namadingo’s music is distinctively gospel music in every sense. He is using a technic of making all traditions realise that they can do better if they take God as their king,” affirms Mhango.
He added: “Dancing in itself is not bad despite the styles, but evil can be on what people do behind the scenes and what they focus on, but if they come with humble hearts to the Lord, God will be happy.”
DJ Gwynz (left) was the first DJ to have a Hip Hop show on radio. Here he’s pictured with Papoose. Photo © Gwynz Facebook[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_100314" align="alignright" width="500"]
Lomwe (left) dropped ‘Nyau Killa’ and ‘U don’t want it’ dissing Tay Grin aka Nyau King (right) and became instant beef anthems.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_100315" align="alignright" width="600"]
Rapper Rina was one of the first female DJs to push local Hip Hop on radio when she was with Capital FM.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_100317" align="alignright" width="445"]
Gwamba: One of the new breed in the game[/caption]
Then, the argument was that Malawi youths were being westernized and this was a threat on culture and lifestyle.
With that mindset, Hip Hop especially from the local scene could barely be heard on radio. MBC Radio 1 and 2 were the only radio stations during this period.
With the coming in of FM 101 Power and Capital Radio, pressure mounted on the two state broadcasters and a room for competition was created.
DJ Dr. Gwynz introduced the first ever Hip Hop radio show on FM 101, “The Hip Hop Drill”.
The show featured underground Hip Hop music from all over the world with a smaller percentage of Malawian Hip Hop, perhaps because there was less material available.
Some of the few rappers that could be heard on Dr. Gwynz’ show were Blantyre based LC Definition, Solo, Comrades, Mo Efx (Barry One, Doxxy and Family) and Tendai (now known as Lomwe), while Lilongwe was being represented by KRT (Dominant One and Family), Cris Mak, X-Calibre, Blind Vision (Jinx and Native K), among others.
During this period, Chatrock was handling almost all the production from the South while Dominant One handled those from the Central.
Although rappers could get airplay, it was still hard to infiltrate the Malawi music industry because the show was coming at night from 22:00hrs to midnight only on Saturdays and the majority of listeners were Hip Hop heads.
MBC Radio 1 and 2 were still reluctant to change; however, Petros Kubwalo managed to introduce a Hip Hop show called “Rap Attack” on Radio 2 FM.
The show had potential but it never had much impact because rappers were never allowed interviews due to the station’s restrictions.
As the saying goes, “when one door closes another one opens”, rappers found solace at Capital FM when Nicole Masauli started hosting “Hip Hop against AIDS”.
The show became popular for its one-on-one interaction, diversity of music and it used to come in the morning around 10:00 am.
The show reached its peak when it hosted a live rap contest at Polytechnic in Blantyre where Prolific emerged victorious. Voice of America (V.O.A) radio presenter Lloyd Murray and Zambian rapper C.R.I.S.I.S were guest judges at this event.
“Hip Hop against AIDS” radio programme gave a break to artists like Chatrock, Nameless, Incyt, Adjust, Gospel and Prolific.
However, the show did not run for long, it was taken off air and Hip Hop fans went back to FM 101’s Hip Hop Drill.
This time around things had changed a bit; Dr. Gwynz was co-hosting The Hip Hop Drill with Kenny Klips and Sprite had also introduced a live radio rap competition on FM 101. After some time, Dr. Gwynz left FM 101 and Kenny Klips took over the show.
Sprite Hip Hop Show was like the foundation and when rappers graduate they would be chilling with the big boys on The Hip Hop Drill. The first Tay Grin song “Break Out” was premiered on this show by DJ Drew. Renegade, Pilgrim and N.I.C also came from this show.
When Klips took over The Drill, he brought a new breed in the name of WUN, Young Kay, Dezert Eagle, Jinx, Devine Sense and Dice.
At this point, MBC was still struggling to have a Hip Hop programme of its own hence it started playing local Hip Hop randomly.
On a positive note, this is when rappers came out with breakthrough songs that changed the game. Real Elements – “These Elements” and “Nyambo”, Basement – “Vimbuza” and “Banyamulenge”, Wisdom Chitedze – “Tipewe”, Physics – “Cholapitsa”, Comrades’ “Africa” and Young Kay – “Anankabango”.
Tay Grin’s “Ndabwela” and “2 by 2”, WUN’s “Mbina” and Kenny Klips’ “Ntofu” also had a huge impact on Malawi music as the biggest local club bangers in the country.
Hip Hop being a competitive genre, beef is never inevitable. Beef may end an artists’ career while others capitalize on it to score points. Lomwe’s “Rumours of War” and “U don’t want it” were instant hits and became beef anthems in Malawi.
Producers Q Malewezi (of Real Elements), Kas Mdoka (of Basement), Tapps, Daredevilz, Dizzo, Sonye and Dominant One came up with mind blowing productions which were creative and distinctive.
Many describe this period as the “Golden Era of Malawian Hip Hop” because radio rap had become interesting and entertaining. This was also the period when Kenny Klips had left FM 101 for Joy Radio and DJ Lomwe had taken over The Hip Hop Drill.
With Kenny Klips and DJ Lomwe secretly at war on who is the best Hip Hop DJ came a diversity of rap music in the country. Both DJs had their own understanding of Hip Hop.
But, they had one thing in common. They were both doing Hip Hop and Breakfast Shows so they would focus on raw/underground Hip Hop on Hip Hop shows while pushing commercial rap on prime time radio.
Hence acts like Basement, Real Elements, Tay Grin, Wisdom Chitedze, Black Squad Affiliates, Third Eye, Genii Blakk, Jolly Bro, Maximum Sentence, Daredevilz, Phyzix, Young Kay and many others could have radio buzz at the same time.
The Hip Hop industry had everybody covered from rappers, producers, DJs, dancers to journalists like Clifton Kawanga, Gregory Gondwe, Kimpho Loka and Sam Banda Jnr.
Both English rappers like Gospel, Incyt, Third Eye and NIC could get airplay and coverage similar to their vernacular counterparts. This also applied to those that do “pure” Hip Hop like L-Planet, Doxxy and Black Mind and those that blend Hip Hop and local elements like Lawi.
The influx of radio stations and rappers becoming DJs also saw the expansion of Hip Hop base. Hip Hop could now be on radio rotation on almost all the radio stations.
The late DJ A.I and rapper/DJ Rina also played a big role in promoting local Hip Hop on Capital FM. Being rappers themselves, they could squeeze in an interview or a profile on a local rapper when they had a chance.
On the other hand, Vida “Lil Vee” Germano had also introduced “Hip Hop for HIV” on FM 101 Power whereas David “Deep Poet” Kapezi and James Gumbwa were co-hosting “Born n Bred” on Radio 2 FM. Both shows made a name for themselves for being active on social media which is now the biggest and fastest media in this generation.
Rapper-cum-journalist, K-Bonnie joined Star Radio and co-hosted “Youth Connection.com” with Yamikani Maganga. The radio station had a good signal reception in the north and this forced Mzuzu-based rappers to follow the local Hip Hop scene.
Consequently, Star Radio received tonnes of music from Mzuzu some of which were from Revolver, Slessor and Gud Fly.
With K-Bonnie’s Lilongwe background, he had easy access to Lilongwe music and little by little rappers like Kwame and Pittie Boys made their way on Blantyre-based radio stations.
This was the genesis of the new era, the Gwamba phenomenon.
When Pittie Boys’ music invaded Blantyre colleges and neighbourhoods, Gwamba decided to pursue a solo career. He started coming to Blantyre to do collaborations with Hypa, Young Kay and Blakjak to familiarise himself with the Blantyre environment.
Soon as he established himself as a full time rapper, he got signed to Mike Chilewe Jnr.’s now defunct Transformers Music, then to Edward Kankhomba’s Prime Time Media before he partnered with Third Eye to form Soul Rebel Entertainment (SRE) which he has just left.
He now has Krazie G and Marste under his wings. The latter has one the biggest songs in the country, “Mwano”, which won the Song of the Year accolade at the UMP Awards 2015 in November.
Currently, Classick of Home Grown African, Mwanache, Sagonjah, Sage Poet, Kananji, E-word, Cash, Trix and producer Rebel Musiq seem to be the breed of Malawi Hip Hop waiting to take over.
Despite not being Hip Hop DJs, Spyda da Ryda, DJ Joy, James Gumbwa, Diktator, DJ Scarpper, DJ Maya, Grevaxio Mota, Anne Kadam’manja, Francis Dule, DJ Crystal and Mike C are doing a good job when it comes to playing local Hip Hop on radio whereby introducing local artists to a wider audience.
Back then, Rap was child’s play but now rappers are getting paid. The corporate world is now open for endorsements, sponsorship, bookings and management companies signing rappers for commercial purposes.
Local Hip Hop producer Gemini Major just got signed to Cassper Nyovest’s Family Tree label in South Africa, which is a sign that Malawi has potential to make it big everywhere.
Nonetheless, when it’s all said and done, having shows like DJ Milatino and Black Mind’s Matindi FM Hip Hop show struggling to make it, the question remains what’s the future of Malawi Hip Hop? How is the new generation going to be groomed when all the relevant Hip Hop radio shows seem to be dying?
Remember, everywhere in the world where Hip Hop is big, every big rapper comes from Hip Hop shows before they make it in mainstream media. It’s only in rare cases where rappers simply breakthrough, most of them who do are habitually wack, Soulja Boy and Iggy Azalea for example.
As many may be aware, Soulja Boy blew up from social media, MySpace, while Iggy Azalea blew up because of corporate imaging.
